Title

Authors

Document Type

Research Poster

Publication Date

2014

Abstract

This experiment tested the waters of the Malibu Lagoon and the Pacific ocean to compare levels of E.coli. We hypothesized that greater amount of E.coli would be present in the waters of the Malibu Lagoon. Because of the runoff and pollution existing in the lagoon, we predicted that higher levels of this bacteria would be found there. This study is significant because many organisms living in these waters can be negatively effected by large levels of E.coli. We used the most probable number method to determine the amounts of bacteria. A collection of samples from three testing sites in both the lagoon and the ocean were taken, then added to a red phenol lactose broth and incubated to determine the amount of E.coli present in each of the samples. Resulting data supported our hypothesis, providing evidence that a greater amount of E.coli existed in the Malibu lagoon in comparison to the Pacific ocean.